Its difficult not to admire the talent of a skilled musician. Whether it be a pianist， flautist or cellist， these individuals have shown dedication and passion over a long period of time to reach the highest levels of performance. But they say its never too late to learn. So what are the benefits， for both children and adults， of learning a musical instrument？

很難不佩服一位技藝高超的音樂(lè)家的才華。無(wú)論是鋼琴家、長(zhǎng)笛手還是大提琴手，這些人在很長(zhǎng)一段時(shí)間內(nèi)都表現(xiàn)出了奉獻(xiàn)精神和激情，以達(dá)到最高的表演水平。但他們說(shuō)學(xué)習(xí)永遠(yuǎn)不晚。那么，學(xué)習(xí)一門(mén)樂(lè)器對(duì)孩子和成人都有什么好處呢？

Learning to play a musical instrument when growing up can improve hearing in adulthood. According to a study by Dr Nina Kraus， Professor of Neurobiology at Northwestern University in Illinois， US， children who played musical instruments were better at recognizing different frequencies. This improved hearing skill carried over into later life with adults who had once played an instrument able to discern sounds of different pitches more easily. And it could also have some academic benefits too. A study conducted by the University of British Columbia found that students who engaged in music-related activities during Grades 7—12 scored significantly higher in science， English and maths.

在成長(zhǎng)階段學(xué)習(xí)一門(mén)樂(lè)器可以提高成年后的聽(tīng)力。根據(jù)美國(guó)伊利諾伊州西北大學(xué)神經(jīng)生物學(xué)教授尼娜·克勞斯博士的一項(xiàng)研究，演奏樂(lè)器的孩子更善于識(shí)別不同的頻率。這種提高的聽(tīng)力技能一直延續(xù)到后來(lái)的生活中，那些曾經(jīng)演奏過(guò)樂(lè)器的成年人能夠更容易地分辨不同音高的聲音。它也可能有一些學(xué)業(yè)上的好處。不列顛哥倫比亞大學(xué)進(jìn)行的一項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，在7—12年級(jí)期間參加音樂(lè)相關(guān)活動(dòng)的學(xué)生在科學(xué)、英語(yǔ)和數(shù)學(xué)方面的得分明顯更高。

And there are not just benefits to children. Whether you choose to play the piano， strum a guitar or learn a drumbeat， you could end up joining a band or orchestra. This in turn could improve your social life， meeting other bandmates who are like-minded in their love of a good tune. Learning an instrument can also give you a sense of achievement. Nailing that perfect chord is one way， but what if you got together with a bunch of friends and entered into a battle of the bands—and won？

這不僅對(duì)孩子們有好處。無(wú)論你選擇彈鋼琴、彈吉他還是學(xué)習(xí)打鼓，你最終都可能加入某個(gè)流行音樂(lè)樂(lè)隊(duì)或某個(gè)管弦樂(lè)隊(duì)。這反過(guò)來(lái)可以改善你的社交生活，結(jié)識(shí)其他志同道合的樂(lè)隊(duì)成員。學(xué)習(xí)一門(mén)樂(lè)器也能給你一種成就感。找到完美的和弦是一種方法，但如果你和一群朋友聚在一起，參加一場(chǎng)樂(lè)隊(duì)之戰(zhàn)，而且贏了呢？

So， whether youre looking to destress playing out some chords， or improve your grades at school， maybe taking up an instrument could help you.

所以，無(wú)論你是想通過(guò)演奏和弦來(lái)減壓，還是想提高你的學(xué)習(xí)成績(jī)，也許學(xué)一門(mén)樂(lè)器會(huì)對(duì)你有幫助。

Word Bank

dedication /'ded?'ke??n/ n. 獻(xiàn)身；奉獻(xiàn)

Her dedication to her work was admirable.

passion /'p??n/ n. 激情；酷愛(ài)

Her passion for dancing never cooled down over the years.